A Controlled Trial of Intravenous Immune Globulin to Reduce Nosocomial Infections in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants

Abstract

Nosocomial infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. As a rule, their low serum gamma globulin levels at birth subsequently decline to hypogammaglobulinemic values; hence, prophylactic administration of intravenous immune globulin may reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections.